Charter Schools — Resources

The following links contain information on various resources for charter schools.

Admissions and Enrollment

Charter Student Admission Application

The Charter Student Admission Application (CSAA) allows for families to apply to any open-enrollment charter school in the state of Texas.  Pursuant to Texas Education Code (TEC) §12.1173 (outside link), all open-enrollment charter schools must collect the data on this form and may not alter the CSAA.  The form is currently available in a bilingual English/Spanish format through the link above; it is also available in eight other languages in our CSAA collection.  For more information, please review the CSAA FAQ; there is also additional guidance regarding the CSAA and high-quality prekindergarten programs.  If you have further questions, please contact Dana Moses at Dana.Moses@tea.texas.gov.

Charter School Waitlist

The Charter School Waitlist (CSW) is a state reporting feature in the Texas Student Data System (TSDS).  TEC §12.1174 (outside link), added by SB 2293, Texas Legislature, 86th Regular Session, 2019, requires this data to be submitted annually.  Please visit our CSW page for more information and a copy of our technical guidance.

Charter School Management

In-Process Amendments

A list of the amendments currently under consideration by the TEA is available on the Charters In Process Action Report chart.

Information for Charter Operators

Charter operators who are looking for resources regarding orientation, governance, amendments, funding, or laws and rules can visit our Charter Operators page to find links to pages regarding those topics.

Information from the Charter Portfolio Meeting

This information was presented during the January 2021 charter portfolio meeting:

• Portfolio Meeting Presentation (PDF, 2,920 KB)
• Charter Information for Students with Disabilities (PDF, 320 KB)

Background and History

History of Charter Schools

Individuals curious about charter school history may view our History of Charter Schools page.

Updates and Communication

AskTED Updates

Charter schools needing to update their AskTED pages must email the Charter AskTED inbox.  Please visit our AskTED updates page for more information about the process and what is required for an AskTED change.

Record and Information Requests

While a charter school is in operation, the charter holder is responsible for maintaining school and personnel records.  To receive records from operating charter schools, please contact the charter holder.

For most closed charter schools, the Education Service Center in Region 13 fills student and personnel record requests.  The ESC 13 closed charter school page (outside source) has a list of schools for which they maintain the records.

TEA stores certain student records based on data collected through the school year.  A list of the student records maintained by TEA can be found on our Public Information Request (PIR) page. 

The PIR page also has information on submitting requests for other types of documents and information maintained by the TEA.  The commissioner of education has designated one e-mail address (PIR@tea.texas.gov) and one fax number (512-463-9838) to receive all agency-related requests under the Public Information Act (PIA).  Requests for information received at any other agency e-mail address or fax number are not PIA requests and do not trigger the PIA requirements.  In addition, members of the public can also submit a request through the Public Information Office online form, or visit to the William B. Travis building to submit a request in person.  Visitors must register at the main reception desk on the 2nd floor.

ESC Contact Information

There are twenty Education Service Centers (ESC) in the state of Texas.  These service centers provide assistance to public schools in their regions, including to charter schools.  For more information about the services they provide, or to reach out to the local ESCs, please review the list of charter contacts at each ESC.